Madeline Merlo is a country singer/songwriter from British Colombia, Canada, who marked her status as a rising star with her debut single and debut self titled EP. The EP showcased Merlo's beautiful vocals, as well as emphasizing her ever-growing songwriting ability and country based but pop influenced sound. It was a sampler of music aimed at young women growing up, with standout tracks including the lead single, "Sinking Like A Stone," "Meant to Last," and the fiery "Deleted." Merlo won the CCMA Rising Star Award earlier this year and has been growing in popularity ever since.

This new song, "Honey Jack" doesn't reach the emotional heights of "Sinking Like A Stone" or any other songs on her debut EP, but that's not the point of the song. Merlo has hit the emotional aspects of country music with songs like "Meant to Last" and "Alive" on her debut. This song is a different kind of song, one meant to appeal to the listeners who love party songs by Luke Bryan, Florida Georgia Line and Sam Hunt. It's a drinking song, but not an overly done one. It's not a song like "Power of Positive Drinkin" by Chris Janson, which encourages the abuse of alcohol, but more like a flirty track where she encourages this man to drink so he has the courage to hit on her. When it was released in July, it was poised to be the perfect summer song, and it is.

On the charts, this song has done better than both "Sinking Like A Stone" and "Alive." It sits at No. 27 right now on the Canadian country chart. The sound and light topic of the song have brought it to the position it is at right now. Her last music was more country pop emotional Taylor Swift-fans oriented, which is good, but in the country radio atmosphere right now, "Honey Jack" is the way to go in order to get airplay. Hopefully, this song will continue to rise, and eventually cross over to American charts so Merlo can continue her much-deserved success.Overall rating: 4 crowns